2015

"Non-road mobile machinery" (NRMM) is currently subject to emission limits which have not been changed since 2004. In the European Commission's view, they no longer correspond to the state of the art. Stricter emission limits will now therefore be adopted in order to protect, in particular, human health and the environment and in order to bring EU requirements into line with those of the USA.

2014

The European Commission wants to bring about stricter compliance with the waste hierarchy by introducing quantitative targets for recycling and the avoidance of food waste. A new "early-warning system" will indicate at an early stage if Member States are at risk of failing to meet the targets.

2014

The European Commission is proposing national ceilings on the emission of certain air pollutants for the period from 2020 and from 2030 and is extending these to other pollutants. The Member States must set up national "air pollution control programmes". These have to contain details of the proposed measures to reduce air pollutants. Intermediate emission levels to be achieved by 2025 will also be introduced.

2014

The European Commission has proposed a "Product Safety and Market Surveillance Package" containing, in particular, a proposal for a Regulation on consumer product safety and a proposal for a Regulation on the regulatory market surveillance of products. With its proposal for a Regulation on market surveillance, the Commission wants to prevent, by way of effective and EU-wide market surveillance, the distribution of products which represent a risk to any aspect of public interest protection, such as health, safety, consumer protection and the environment.

2014

The European Commission has proposed a "Product Safety and Market Surveillance Package" containing, in particular, a proposal for a Regulation on consumer product safety and a proposal for a Regulation on the regulatory market surveillance of products. The proposal for a Regulation on product safety aims to simplify the different rules on consumer product safety as well as ensuring that consumer products are safe.

2014

The European Commission intends to promote the dissemination of green products and green commercial practices by ways of transparency and consistency with the labelling of environmental performances of products and practices. Within a three-year test phase, the Commission recommends to apply its developed methods of the “Product Environmental Footprint“ and that of the “Organisation Environmental Footprint“.

2014

The European Commission's proposal for a 7th Environment Action Programme (EAP) allows an overall view of current and future environment policy initiatives to 2020. It contains a broad palette of proposals relating to objectives and measures but leaves open the actual form that measures are to take. As well as the deficiencies in implementation of existing EU environment legislation, the Commission also brings up the increased use of market-based instruments.

2014

The European Commission wants to reduce the amount of plastic waste and the resulting burden on the environment. It is considering promoting the recycling of plastic waste in preference to energy recovery and use of landfill. In addition, it is considering a general ban on using landfill for plastic waste. By way of requirements placed on product design, manufacturers are to be obliged to increase the reparability and re-usability of plastic products.